DONALD Trump today rubbished Jeremy Corbyn’s sweeping claims the NHS would be sold off in a UK-US deal after the general election – insisting: “It’s not for us”.
In an interview on LBC with Nigel Farage, the US president tore into the Labour leader, while praising Boris Johnson as a “fantastic guy”.
His comments came after Corbyn repeated claims Boris will sell off the NHS to the president if he gets re-elected at the December 12 general election.
He made the statement despite Boris repeatedly saying the NHS is “not for sale” in any trade deal, and recently announcing a 200million funding boost.
Trump also rubbished the claims, telling LBC: “We wouldnt even be involved in it, were trying to fix our own health service.
“Its not for us to have anything to do with your health service. Were just talking about trade.
Corbyn accused Boris of a secret “sell out” deal where American firms would get access to our health service in a post-Brexit trade deal.
But Boris has insisted it’s completely off the table and won’t happen. He also kicked off his election campaign today with a visit to a hospital getting billions of pounds worth of extra funding.
The NHS looks set to be a dominating feature of the campaign ahead of December’s election.
‘SUCH BAD PLACES’
In the interview, Trump also said Corbyn would take Britain to “such bad places” if he were to win the December 12 election.
But heaping praise on Boris, Trump said: “I have great relationships with many of the leaders, including Boris who’s a fantastic man – I think he’s the exact right guy for the times.
“I know that you and him will end up doing something that could be terrific – if you and he get together it’s [an] unstoppable force.
“Corbyn would be so bad for your country, he’d be so bad, he’d take you in such a bad way.
“He’d take you into such bad places. But your country has tremendous potential, it’s a great country.”
‘UNSTOPPABLE FORCE’
It comes as Farage gave Boris 24 hours to make an electoral pact with him as he mulls over whether he will stand Brexit Party candidates against Tories in the upcoming poll.
Trump used his interview to urge Boris to strike a deal with Farage – saying the two party leaders would be “unstoppable”.
“If you and he get together, you know, unstoppable force,” the President said.
Farage is due to reveal tomorrow how many candidates he plans to field as Tory chiefs warn he could let Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn into No10 by splitting the pro-Brexit vote.
He had threatened tostand in all 650 seatsbut it emerged on Wednesday night he may slash it to just a few dozen.
Both Mr Corbyn and Boris launched their election campaigns today.
Mr Corbyn addressed a rally of the party faithful in Battersea earlier, vowing take on the elites and claimed he could get Brexit done in just six months.
Boris and Trump have famously got on incredibly well. The US President backed him to become PM before he got into office, and the pair talk on the phone regularly.
During meetings over the summer the pair were chummy and relaxed in each other’s company.
The President is set to come to the UK in December, just before the election date.
Liz Truss: The NHS is not and never will be for sale this is a categorical red line for Boris Johnson
ONE of the greatest boons of Brexit is that we are going to take back control of our future.
We will decide what regulations we want, we will decide how we want our economy to be run and we will decide how we want to run our public services.
Well also be able to deepen ties with countries around the world, with free trade agreements that will open up markets to British businesses and lower tariffs.
Its my ambition to cover 80% of UK trade with free trade agreements and I believe we can do it.
But we are not going to be pushovers. I want deals that are right for Britain.
The UK will not be told by the US, the EU or anyone else what is or isnt on the table.
The Prime Minister, the Health Secretary and myself have been crystal clear the NHS is not and never will be for sale. This is a categoric red line.
Ignore the scaremongering from Labour. The price the NHS pays for drugs wont be on the table. And the services the NHS delivers wont be on the table.
Its obviously desperate times in Labour towers seeing as Corbyn has already resorted to spreading lies about the NHS in any trade deal.
As Trade Secretary, I know that his claims are utterly baseless and it is disgraceful that he is weaponising such an important issue, scaring vulnerable people to score political points.
Its yet more proof that Labour cannot be trusted to run a car boot sale, let alone this country.
This is a party who are anti-American, anti-freedom and would rather strike a trade deal with Venezuela or Russian than with free-market democracies such as Australia and Japan.
A free-trade agreement with these kinds of like-minded countries including the US will provide so much opportunity for British businesses and consumers. We currently sell 8bn worth of British cars to the US. But think how much more we could sell if we have a comprehensive free trade agreement?
And with a good trade agreement, American products like Californian wine could become more affordable in the UK.
Britain is a bold, buccaneering country and when we leave the EU we are going to chart our own future. We are going to strike trade deals that will create jobs, growth and opportunity.
We are going to protect and support our NHS and all of our other fantastic public services.
We are going to invest in infrastructure to level up our country. And most importantly of all we are going to control our own destiny.
